Chapter 441: Distraction

"Who… killed her?"

Although there was already a lot of tension building up in the air with the Olympians' arrival, each and every one of them became quiet. Even Hera, who seemed like she had an entire speech prepared for Van, could only close her mouth as she took a seat on the sofa; glancing at Irin before letting out a scoff and looking to the side.

The Olympians, even when subdued for almost a hundred thousand years now, seemed to have kept most of their pride intact.

Irin brought them here for a single reason– because, like the Olympians, she could sense the same scent in him that they carry. She would have probably also brought a seraph since Van also has their scent, but alas, they were all wiped out.

Irin didn't really know what she hoped to achieve by doing this, and so– she just watched and observed. Most of the beings in this room right now were hundreds of thousands of years old; Perhaps Van may also be the same, but she wasn't really seeing any indication that he could be.

Perhaps his years of life were closer to Irin, who had only really lived for 30 years. She has memories of her previous lives… almost an eon of memories.

The way she perceived those memories, however, was more like movies that were imprinted in her mind all at once. She doesn't feel anything whenever she remembers someone's death, nor is she happy remembering all the fun moments of her previous lives.

…She also had memories of the time when they were finally able to overthrow the Seraphs and their first god. She also has a memory of them arriving in the universe of the Olympians; who, even in their weakest state, managed to kill millions of systellions– even destroying a Pontiff whose mind drive they were not able to recover.

It wasn't until Eremiel's ancestor finally decided to step up that the Olympians were completely subdued.

Irin's ancestor, however, was the one that was ultimately responsible for the Olympians not being wiped out after the battle. Her ancestor seemed to have held some sort of liking to them and their way of life– almost to the point that their authority was just below that of the Pontiffs.

That was around a hundred thousand years ago, and with the short duration that Irin has been alive…

…she hasn't seen what made them special enough to be spared.

She had only met for a few minutes, and he seemed to already be more worthy of standing with the systellions just for the sheer raw power he was emitting each time he moved. But the question is…

…is he as strong as the Pontiffs?

He managed to kill Tartys, sure. But Irin could also do that with her eyes closed– throughout the years, Tartys's iterations have grown weaker and weaker. The only reason he was still being regarded as Pontiff was due to the respect his prime ancestor deserved; that was also the reason why Eremiel wasn't paying Van any mind.

And so, Irin continued to watch the scenery unfold in front of her– to determine whether or not he was a threat to their cause. And if he is… Irin still wasn't worried. After all, she was already doing something behind the scenes while Van was busy talking with the Olympians.

"Answer me, child of Hermes. Who killed Artemis?" Demeter repeated her words; her eyes, not leaving Van's eyes for even a single second.

"..." Van, on the other hand, just returned her gaze for a few seconds, before letting out a sigh and turning around,

"If all of us are lucky, then you would get the chance to meet him soon."

"...I see you have inherited Athena's love for suspense," Demeter could also only sigh as a smile once again appeared on her face. Van was about to walk back to Irin, but before he could do so, Ares, at least he assumed it was Ares, blocked his path.

"Athena has copulated with you? You?" Ares then said as he did the same as Demeter– crouching down to have his eyes at the same level as Van's. His, however, was not as endearing and held no warmth.

"Y–" And without him even able to utter another word, Van suddenly disappeared from his sight. Ares, of course, was somewhat able to see Van's movements as he stretched his hand to the side… but before he could even unfold them, Van was already standing in front of Hera.

"..." Hera quickly furrowed her eyebrows as she saw Van looking down at her; she was about to say something, but Van already turned around and chosen another seat closer to Irin.

"I still don't know what your purpose is by bringing them here," Van then calmly said as he turned his focus only to Irin, "Were you expecting some sort of reunion?"

"Maybe," Irin sighed as she tapped her foot on the floor– the breathing black soot that wrapped around the entire house, instantly disappearing as she did so, "But I know now you do not truly know them."

"Well–"

"She's trying to buy time."

And before Van could say another word, Poseidon– who had been keeping quiet the whole time, finally spoke up as he too, took a seat on the sofa; pushing Hera to the side due to his towering build.

"For someone who is in a relationship with the Goddess of War and Strategy, you seem to be too laid back. I wonder…

…is it arrogance or ignorance?"

"..." Van looked at Poseidon for a bit, before once again focusing on Irin. It is true that he seemed to be taking the situation with a bit of nonchalance– is his newfound strength perhaps clouding his judgment?

No. From the start, he wasn't really that much of a thinker. But with Poseidon's words, Van finally realized something.

"You destroyed my comms the very moment you arrived."

Light once again started to emerge from each and every pore in Van's body– popping and trickling as they make contact with each other,

"...Are you doing something to my people right now?"

"No," Irin shook her head as she stood up from the sofa; before slowly making her way to the broken window wall and pointing towards the horizon,

"Did. I did something to your people."

And as soon as Van heard those words, he instantly disappeared from his seat– appearing right in front of Irin; his fingers that were trying to gouge out Irin's eyes…

…blocked by Ares and Demeter's palms; pierced together by Van's fingers.

"You're right," and even with her hand wounded, a smile still crawled on Demeter's face as she pulled it away,

"You're stronger than Hermes."

"Why are you protecting–" And before Van could finish his words, shadows suddenly blanketed the entire house… along with the entire horizon. Van then immediately turned around to look at what was causing it…

…only to see Solomon, the colossal ship where Athena and the others should be, hovering above the skies.

***AUTHOR NOTES***

Hi, you might have noticed that I am once again slowly writing My Hermes System. I will try to continue it, but I won't promise a consistent daily chapter. So right now, I think the best all of us can do is just support each other. So if anyone is still reading this, thank you.